This is where Dr. Rodney Williams comes in. Long before he stepped onto the political stage and in the years since making his exit, he’s been an expert in the medical field. Is it any wonder that Mindful Movement turned to him when it decided to bring a medical expert on board to endorse the Fitness Madness initiative and serve as a consultant? After all, good health, not Carnival readiness, is the best reason to exercise.
 

That’s why another new partner, the American University of Antigua, will be providing more than the use of its recreation centre for the Madness. It will conduct tests for high blood pressure and diabetes, two of the chronic illnesses that can be positively impacted by exercise. These, we’ve heard time and again, have increased significantly, through a combination of heredity and lifestyle; and as many as do have it, some have it and don’t know.
 

Arthritis is another thing that can be aided by exercise, said Dr. Williams. What exercise does to ease the ache of arthritis, he said , Is it “keeps the joints moving, keeps lubrication in play.”

In fact the natural, shall we say, creakiness of aging, can be aided by exercise. “You want to be fit both in your youth and in your old age,” Dr. Williams said. “As we get older, we lose some of that strength, endurance and flexibility. If you want to maintain that, you have to keep moving……you either use something or lose it.”  Exercise gets the blood pumping, and, he said, “blood brings oxygen and nutrients…blood vessels get narrower and more inelastic as we get older…by exercising we keep expanding the blood vessels and (that) enables the blood to flow easily.”
 

Of course, as you get older, low impact exercises like swimming and walking may be preferable but then there are plenty of roads to walk and miles of beaches to be swum in Antigua and Barbuda. Plus at Fitness Madness, the routines are tailored for all levels of fitness.

When it comes to the diseases mentioned, the knee jerk seems to be to medicate and while that’s sometimes necessary, it’s Dr. Williams’ view that enough emphasis is not placed on diet and exercise. “And I can understand why,” he admitted. “Look at our daily routine.” He pointed out that between driving everywhere, sitting all day at work, and sitting all night watching TV, our lifestyle patterns don’t promote exercise, while the prices at the supermarkets and the economic situation don’t promote healthy eating. “Many of our people don’t have enough disposable income to eat the right way,” he said, and not enough time, or perhaps inclination to make the natural alternatives like fresh made juice as opposed to the pre-packaged, often high sugar options, at the supermarkets.

 

 

But we can take baby steps, he suggested. “Watch more closely to  what we eat…eat smaller quantities…drink more water (for hydration and that filling sensation),” he said, and “get active…there’s no such thing as not having enough time… (it) will have a tremendous effect on your life and how you feel.” On the point of not having enough time or money, he suggested things like getting up from your desk and jogging on the spot for a few and improvising weights from household items. But, of course, funds allowing, Fitness Madness is based on all that has been said, an investment worth making; and Dr. Williams’ role is, in his own words, “to impart more information on eating right and living right.”
 

Meanwhile, speaking for the AUA and its decision to play such a significant role in this year’s fitness madness, VP of Administration and Community Affairs, Basil Stuart indicated that for them it’s win-win. As a teaching institution, it allows them to educate while aiding the community. “The students get an opportunity to work with real people and it’s something they can give back to the community,” he said.
 

Something worthwhile for them: something worthwhile for you.
 

Registration for Fitness Madness begins May 10th between 3 and 7 p.m. on the back verandah of the Mount St. John Medical Centre. Once registered, participants will be able to go to the AUA campus for an in depth health and fitness assessment, beginning 9 a.m. until 1pm on Saturday, May 12th.

For more information join the Mind Move – Fitness Madness: a Personal Challenge group on Facebook or log on to their website www.mindmoveanu.com